Improvement in car-couplings



*UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

PETER L. M ENK, OF PARIS, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,507, dated January 5, 1875; application filed April 25, 1874.

To all whom lit may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER L. MENK, of Paris, in the county ot' Edgar and State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Gar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

. clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawing is a representation of a sectional view of my car-coupling, and Fig. 2 is an end view.

This invention has relation to coupling cars; and `it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of devices, as hereinafter more :fully described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, A Adesignate the ends of two cars which it is desired to couple, having applied to them, in the customary manner, draw-bars, which I designate by the letter B, which draw-bars have coupling-pins b applied to them in the usual Wellknown manner, and are provided with a front bearing, b', which serves as a fulcrum for a coupling-link, c, by means of which I am enabled to vertically adjust said link c to enter the draw-bar of an approaching car of different height from the ground. D designates a pin or bar, applied movably and vertically to the draw-bar B in rear of pin b, and which is provided at its lower endl with a notch, a, and a projection or abutment, n, extending from the end thereof, and received into a recess in the front lower licor otl the draw-bar. This abutment serves to prevent thecouplin glink from entering beyond it into the draw l bar, thus always maintaining a sufficient portion thereof out of the draw-bar for coupling.

This notch serves to bear upon and prevent pin b from going beyond it into the draw-bar B, and it is jointed at its upper extremity to a lever, E, having its fulcrum at c, and its free end extending laterally beyond the side of a car, so that, when this lever is actuated, the operative may stand from between the cars. This lever- E is secured to the end of` the car by means of the guidestaple F, which serves to prevent said lever from vibrating outwardly, and it is supported by means of spring' s, of suitable construction.

When the end of' lever E is forced downward by the operative it communicates a downward motion to the pin D, and engages notch n with the interior end of coupling-pin b, and elevates the exterior end, so as to cause it to enter the draw-bar ot' a car, however widely it may differ in height from that Yon which my improvement has been applied.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The lever E, secured by staple F and supported by spring s, in combination wlth the vertically-movable notched pin D and front bearing b', substantially as and for the purpose sct forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence Vof two witnesses.

PETER L. MENK. 

